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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Dupin's middle name?

2. What does Dupin hope the ad will do directly?

3. When the neighbors looked on the 4th floor, who did they see immediately?

4. How long had the first person interviewed known the murder victims?

5. How many days before her death did Madame L'Espanaye pull out money?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the dead body that was found outside.

2. What elements make "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" a Gothic story?

3. What aspects of the case does Dupin feel are the most important?

4. What are three activities or jobs Dupin might enjoy doing using his analytical abilities? Why?

5. In what ways is The Narrator observant like Dupin?

6. Who is the protagonist of the story? Why?

7. What elements of the murder appear strange to the reader?

8. Describe the way the orangutan behaved after killing the women, according to the sailor.

9. What does Dupin do at the crime scene?

10. Why does Dupin believe that the owner of the orangutan is a sailor?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Poe use gruesome details to illicit a response from the reader?

Essay Topic 2

What kind of story is "The Murders in the Rue Morgue"? How would you describe it to somebody who had not read a mystery short story before?

Essay Topic 3

What elements of Gothic literature are present in Poe's story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 636 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample